I've heard that you are supposed to be a few months into the wedding planning before you ask your bridesmaids. But I don't think I'm alone when I say that I got excited and wanted to ask them right away! While people may have different opinions on the exact time you are supposed to ask your bridesmaids to be a part of your wedding, I think we can all agree you should be asking not telling. Being a wing woman to a bride these days can be a big commitment (both with time and money) and while it is a fun experience for most ladies, not everyone is in the position to take on the responsibility. With that said, I don't think you can go wrong with asking your bridesmaids, whether it's over the phone, in-person or sending a little note, but for those who want to do something extra crafty, I found some great ideas.

Remember paper chain dolls? Well, they grew up and got a lot more stylish!

Source and Instructions

Love this card with the lace:

Source and Instructions

Or you could play off the little engagement ring box with something like this...

Source and Instructions

If you want to go big and are a little further along in the planning process, you could make a box like the one below with details about the wedding party and wedding. It sounds surprisingly simple (and fun) to make!

Source and Instructions

If you are more into letting others craft for you, there's always Etsy! I have seen these hangers used for pictures of the bride's wedding dress, but they would make super cute bridesmaid asks by adding a personal note to each of your ladies. It would even make for cute pictures on the wedding day with all the bridesmaid dresses (and your wedding dress) hanging together.

Source

Here are the cards I made, ...

Supplies you will need:

Pre-made cards and envelopes (I used Square)
Colored paper - mine was an opaque orange color
White scrap paper
A pen - I used navy
Elmer's glue gel

Instructions: draw a silhouette of a dress that you can use to trace the dresses. Trace the number of dresses you are going to need and then cut them out (cut inside the line you drew so it's not visible). Glue a dress onto each card. Then use your pen to free-hand draw the little bouquets and cut them out. Once the dresses have dried, glue the bouquets on top. I made a special version of the card for my sister (my maid of honor) by cutting a wedding dress shape out of shiny, textured white paper and putting that next to the 'bridesmaid dress' on the front.

Weigh the cards down with a heavy object, like a book, to keep everything from rippling as the glue dries. Lastly, write 'will you...' on the front and 'be my bridesmaid' on the inside and write a little note to your friend/sister/sister-in-law to be. I tried my best on the hand writing, but these would look even more professional if you have great handwriting. Or you could use a computer and printer if you know how to do that or get some alphabet stamps. I think if I were to do this over again, I think would use letter stamps to spell the words out.

How did you or do you plan to ask your bridesmaids? Did you do something crafty or go with the tried-and-true way of just asking over the phone or in-person?

The bridal shower is an exciting time! Let's start with an amazing bridal shower invite such as the one I found from minted.com. You will need some toppers for your cupcakes, so try these from the pertyfultings Etsy Shop. If you haven't already, announce your bridal party to everyone and give them a cute "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" note like this from Print Your Party!

And finally, GAMES! I'm not the biggest fan of bridal games, but these new ones are amazing! A personalized crossword puzzle (from LoveSmartDesign) and games such as the Print Your Party printable version of the "purse game" (that I talked about playing at Lizzie's Bridal Shower).

Those are the basics of the bridal shower! All personalized and all inexpensive! :) Have fun-it'll be a fun day!